Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains today the most precise examination for the medical diagnosis, but also the most constrained: high cost, heavy installation, limited access to large hospitals. The French startup Chipiron intends to reverse this paradigm by developing a mobile MRI, light and ten times cheaper than traditional models.
The ambition is make MRI as accessible as radiographyin terms of deployment, costs and use. At a time when health systems must absorb growing medical imaging demand, this technology could profoundly change the distribution of care.
A break in use in a frozen market
Today, access to MRI remains reserved for establishments with heavy and costly infrastructure. Standard equipment requires magnetic shields, suitable premises, and advanced technical expertise. Consequence: extended waiting timesa saturation of technical platforms, and an exclusion of many patients (carriers of implants, claustrophobic people, children).
Chipiron takes the problem at the root. By developing an MRI very low fieldportable and economical, the startup aims at democratize the use of MRI In so far excluded structures: local care centers, private clinics, mobile units, or isolated establishments. This rupture technology not only makes it possible to overcome conventional logistical constraints, but also opens access to vulnerable audiences.
To a new international standard
The fundraising of 15 million euros carried out by Chipiron aims to finance the last phase of R&D, to produce the first clinical prototypes by the end of 2025, and to start hospital trials in 2026. The medium -term objective is clear: Obtain CE and FDA certificationsAnd Deploy more than 100 machines around the world Within five years.
The addressable market is significant: 10 billion euros worldwideincluding 2.5 billion in Europe and 500 million in France. But above all, this market is under-exploited: by expanding access to MRI, Chipiron hopes double the size of the segmentby creating a new local use, as standard as radiography in many care courses.
Structured Deeptech trajectory
Founded in 2020 in Paris by Evan Kervella (CEO) And Dimitri Labat (CSO)Chipiron is part of a tradition of French industrial innovation. The company has followed a structured progression:
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- 2021 : PRE-SEED of € 1 million from Business Angels and the Entrepreneur First Program
- 2022-2023 : € 1 million in non-dilutive funding
- 2023 : Seed of € 2.4 million led by Exor ventures And UNRULY Capital
- 2025 : Series A of € 15 millionled by Blastwith the participation of EIC FUND,, ixcore,, Bpifrance,, France 2030 And EIC Accelerator
In total, the startup has lifted 20 million euros in equity and public aid.
The stake is now industrial. With this new lifting, Chipiron has the resources necessary to transform its vision into clinical reality, by installing its first systems in hospital in early 2026.
